Profile

Colin has been a family lawyer for almost 40 years. He began his career as Legal Associate to Justice Michael Kirby, then President of the NSW Court of Appeal, before working as a solicitor in a litigation practice in Brisbane for two years. He then went to the Bar in Queensland and built a specialist practice in family law, taking silk in 2010. In 2011, Colin was appointed as a trial judge in the Brisbane Registry of the Family Court of Australia where he served for ten years before returning to the Bar in 2021. Since leaving the Court, Colin has been providing advice to clients and solicitors whilst also conducting a busy mediation and arbitration practice.

Colin is an AMDRAS accredited mediator and an AIFLAM accredited Advanced Family Law Arbitrator. He served as Deputy Chair of the Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators for five years, as a member of its Arbitration committee and Chair of its Complaints committee. He has conducted around 300 mediations and close to 30 arbitrations since leaving the Family Court. He is a past President of the Family Law Practitioners Association of Queensland.

Colin obtained arts and law degrees from UNSW in 1986 and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Queensland in 2024. He has also served on the Commonwealth Social Security Appeals Tribunal, the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Tribunal, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, as well as in the role of Public Interest Monitor in Queensland (under the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act). He also served as Chair of the Queensland Prostitution Licensing Authority prior to its recent abolition.

Colin is a member of FLB Chambers in Brisbane, Family Law Chambers in Sydney, Holmes List in Melbourne and John Toohey Chambers in Perth.

Colin accepts briefs to advise and appear in all matters in the Family Court of Western Australia. He also accepts briefs to conduct or appear in family law mediations and arbitrations in person in Perth or anywhere else in Australia or via online video conferencing if necessary.

Membership of Professional Organisations

• Bar Associations of Queensland and Victoria
• Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia
• Member of the Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators
• Family Law Practitioners Association of Queensland
• Australian Institute of International Affairs

Areas of Practice

• Family and De Facto

Admitted to Practice

• High Court of Australia, date of admission: 1988

Qualifications

• BA, LLB, M.Int.Rel.